


His Name Was Dave

by punkspiders



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, War, no happy ending, there's legit no happiness as you get farther into it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 05:55:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18131810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkspiders/pseuds/punkspiders
Summary: Klaus reflects back upon his time both in the Vietnam War, and with the man he loved more than himself.





	His Name Was Dave

Nineteen sixty-eight. That was the year Klaus was sent back to against his own will. One moment, he was on a bus, clutching a suitcase. The next, he was in a tent in the middle of a battlefield. Explosions rocked the ground as officers yelled at him to get ready. He tugged on pants, a helmet being placed on his head. He assumed he was now a soldier in the middle of some war in some year.

The next thing he knew, he was being loaded on another bus, soldiers clad in similar clothing to the ones that had been thrown at him. A hand landed on his shoulder, making him jump, eyes wide.

"You just get in country?"

Klaus turned to face him a bit, dazed. "Oh," he said, smiling a bit, "uh, yeah." He knew that he shouldn't get attached to anyone that was born way before he was, but he couldn't help it. The guy was quite attractive, after all, and Klaus's major weakness was cute men.

Surprisingly, the man smiled back at him. It only made Klaus's smile grow larger as they chuckled to each other.

"Yeah," he said, glancing out the window, "shit's crazy, I know."

"Yeah," Klaus agreed dumbly. He couldn't keep his eyes off the man.

"You'll adjust." He looked back at Klaus, giving him a once over that made him feel something he'd felt many times before.

Klaus nodded.

The man held out a hand. "I'm Dave."

They kept eye contact, Klaus shaking it.

"Klaus," he said, leaning a bit closer. What Dave didn't see was Klaus moving the suitcase farther under his seat.

━ ━ ━

The war was long, but there were many breaks. It gave Dave and Klaus time to get to know each other and grow closer. They spent much time at bars or weird nightclubs, dancing next to each other but not together. Both of them knew the rules of the war and how homosexuality was looked upon as disgusting. They were forced to conceal their long looks they gave each other, or learn how to do it at separate times.

They fell into a routine. Fight side-by-side until they were given breaks, then change into civilian clothes and hit the clubs.

Klaus was a big fan of the 60's style. He was able to express himself like he was able to in 2019, with crop tops and skinny jeans. No one thought anything of it since they were mostly doing the same. It was no secret among the troops or the regulars at the places they went to that Klaus was a very feminine man. If anyone said anything bad about it, one could bet that Dave would be right behind Klaus, ready to kick their ass. He was somewhat of a bodyguard. Although he knew quite well that Klaus could handle himself, he felt protective of the smaller man.

Part of the reason was the nights. Klaus would shake and move around constantly in bed, mumbling to himself. When he would shoot up, eyes wide with fear, Dave was always right beside him to help calm him down. Their fellow soldiers didn't realize that there was anything going on between the two men; they simply thought that Dave was being a good friend.

One night, when they were sitting next to each other at a club, Klaus broke down and told Dave something about his past.

"I was a junkie," he admitted. "And ever since I joined the war, I've been sober. Well, I haven't had any drugs since they're harder to come by. You know that I drink." He took a shaky breath.

Dave rested a hand on his shoulder, just as he did when they first met. "Klaus, it's okay. You don't have to—"

"Yes, I do. You deserve to know this."

Both men were silent as Klaus calmed himself back down.

"I became addicted to drugs and alcohol when I was twelve. At first, it was just cigarettes and whatever I could find inside my dad's liquor cabinet. Then I got older. I stole money or did small ... favors for money so I could buy stuff on the street. I popped pills every day like it was nothing." He dropped his head, not meeting Dave's eyes. He didn't want to see how disappointed he was in him.

Dave kept his hand on Klaus's shoulder, the other pulling him close. "That's in the past. I can tell you're much better than you were back then, even back when we met. You seem healthier and happier."

Klaus wanted to disagree, to push Dave away and explode. He knew he wasn't happier. He silently cried himself to sleep every night, pulling his scratchy blanket over his mouth so no one, not even Dave, could hear him. The ghosts refused to leave him alone. It was much worse since he was in a land ruined with war.

Instead, he let Dave hold him. He sobbed into the other man's shoulder as he clutched onto his shirt. They stayed like that even when Klaus stopped crying, until the owner of the club asked them to leave because he had to close up for the night.

Unbeknownst to Klaus, Dave made a promise that he would always protect Klaus, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

━ ━ ━

Their first kiss was at the same club Klaus told Dave about his past. They'd danced with two girls for a while, taking shots whenever they passed by the bar.

At one point, they stood in facing each other, gazing into the other's eyes. They ignored everyone dancing around them as if they were in another world. Suddenly, Dave took hold of Klaus's arm and pulled him through the crowd. They were now in a back corner, sheltered from wandering eyes.

Before Klaus got the chance to ask why they were there, Dave said, "Laugh like I just told a dumb joke."

Klaus did so, the grin Dave wore turning into a laugh. They took small sips of their drinks as they made small chat.

"Can I ... do something really weird?" Dave asked after a few minutes.

"Depends on what it is."

"Just trust me."

Klaus nodded, tilting his head as Dave took both their drinks and set them on a table. Then his hand cupped Klaus's cheek. Klaus felt his breathing stop as they stared once more into each other's eyes.

They both leaned forward, lips meeting in a soft kiss that turned passionate. It ended too quickly for Klaus's liking.

"Let's get out of here," Dave whispered in his ear.

"Please," Klaus groaned softly.

They rented a hotel room on the far side of town, spending the entire night close.

━ ━ ━

Klaus, now back in 2019, had his eyes closed as he remembered those moments. He tried his best not to remember the sounds of gunshots and looking beside himself to see the love of his life laying there.

His eyes shot open, the memory of Dave's dead body etched into his mind forever. Curling up on his bed, he grabbed his comforter and pulled it over his mouth so his siblings couldn't hear him crying. They didn't even notice he was gone. They were too focused on finding Five. To be fair, he was worried about his brother, too, but he'd been in a war and lost someone close to him.

The medic never had to tell him Dave's fate, because Klaus already knew he was gone. Several soldiers tore him off the body, taking him back away from the front lines. He was absolutely hysterical. As soon as he'd found the suitcase, he didn't think for a single second before opening it.

He'd found himself on a bus, blood covering his hands and his clothes. He held himself back from crying in front of the other passengers. He got off on the first stop, finally letting go.

The suitcase exploded after he bashed it on a bench then threw it to the side. Klaus felt himself sink to the ground, clawing the stones as his mouth formed the words of his deceased lover. It took him some time to get back to the Academy, where he immediately went to his room. He stayed there for an hour, sobbing silently, then gathering the courage to take a bath and change his clothes.

Five was the first person to talk to him. He recognized the signs of time travel and seemed more sympathetic than ever. When Five left, Klaus put on his headphones and pressed play. A song started playing.

> _To your grave, I spoke_  
>  _Holding a red, red rose_  
>  _Gusts of freezing cold air_  
>  _Whispers to me, that you are gone_
> 
>  _Always, always asking questions_  
>  _My life is overrated but I_  
>  _Never, never expected that I'd_  
>  _Underestimated my love for you_
> 
>  _To your grave, I spoke_  
>  _Holding a red, red rose_  
>  _Gusts of freezing cold air_  
>  _Whispers to me, you are gone_
> 
>  _Always, always just out of reach from my_  
>  _Over-frustrated, shameful hands_  
>  _And I never, never expected that I_  
>  _Would ever, no never, take for granted our precious time_
> 
>  _To your grave, I spoke_  
>  _Holding a red, red rose_  
>  _Gusts of freezing cold air_  
>  _Whispers to me you're gone_
> 
>  _Spent a lifetime of holding on just to let go_  
>  _I guess I'll spend another lifetime_  
>  _Searching for a new hope_
> 
>  _To your grave, I spoke_  
>  _Holding a red, red rose_  
>  _Gusts of freezing cold air_  
>  _Whispers to me you're gone_
> 
>  _Spent a lifetime of holding on just to let go_  
>  _I guess I'll spend another lifetime_  
>  _Searching for a new hope_
> 
>  _A new hope_  
>  _A new hope_  
>  _A new hope_  
>  _A new hope_  
>  _A new hope_

Klaus missed being in Dave's arms. He missed the comfort of them and how closely Dave would hold him. As though Dave would lose him any moment.

Little did he know, Klaus was the one who lost Dave instead.


End file.
